Thick Detector Research Articles

Determination of Tritium-Helium-3 differential cross-section in the energy range between 0.6 MeV and 3.3 MeV for tritium depth profiling in solids

The differential cross-section for the 3He+3H nuclear reaction was measured in a thin tritiated PdTi film that was deposited on a Si wafer. The sample was loaded with 3H2 gas at a temperature of 300 °C and at a pressure of 1.8 bar. The total activity of the sample, measured by the liquid scintillation technique, was found to be 395 MBq. Two peaks were observed in the spectrum of the thick Si detector, corresponding to the 3H(3He,d)4He and 3H(3He,p)5He reaction channels. The differential cross-section was determined for the energy range of the 3He beam from 0.6 to 3.4 MeV, at three scattering angles of 125, 135 and 155°. The differential cross-section for the first channel remained almost constant within the measured energy range, while the cross-section for the second channel increased with energy. In both cases, the cross-sections reached their maximum value at the lowest scattering angle measured. The differential cross-sections were verified using a thick solid tritiated tungsten target. For assessing the tritium depth profile, only the reaction channel 3H(3He,d)4He can be utilized.

SiC Detector Thickness Optimization for Enhanced Response Variability

Neutron spectroscopy is a crucial point in several nuclear applications. Accurately measuring fast neutron energy distributions in high-flux conditions reveals a significant technology gap, hindering the acquisition of precise energy fluence distributions. This project investigates the potential of machine learning to bridge this gap, focusing on neutron energies from 100 keV to 20 MeV and fluence rates from 1010 n/cm2s to 1012 n/cm2s using solid detectors such as Silicon Carbide (SiC) and Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) diamonds. This paper details the simulation design phase of our project, emphasizing the exploration of optimal SiC solid detector thickness to introduce crucial variability for machine learning training.

Estimation of the Radiological Risk due to Radon‐222 Exposure in Dwelling of Al‐Hussainya District, Karbala Governorate

The key natural cause of irradiation in humans is the air. People spend most of their time at home, so home is likely a main source of natural radionuclide exposure in the air, especially radon gas. It is the second cause of lung cancer after smoking. This study aims to evaluate Radon‐222 gas (222Rn) concentrations in the houses (indoor dwellings) of the Al‐Hussainya district of the Karbala Governorate, Iraq. Also, some radiological parameters such as AED (annual effective dose), PAEC (potential alpha energy concentration), EP (exposure to radon progeny), and CPPP (lung cancer cases per year per million people) were calculated. 222Rn concentrations were determined using closed and open dosimeters with CN‐85 detector (thickness of 12 μm). The range and average of 222Rn concentrations were from 21.791 Bq/m3 to 43.376 Bq/m3 and 32.3381 Bq/m3 in open dosimeters, respectively. While in closed dosimeters, the range of 222Rn concentrations and average values were from 19.324 Bq/m3 to 37.286 Bq/m3 and 26.6462 Bq/m3, respectively. The average values of AED, PAEC, EP, and CPPP due to radon by open dosimeters were 0.083 mSv/y, 0.358 mWL, 14.759 mWLMY−1, and 1.503, respectively, while the average values of AED, PAEC, EP, and CPPP due to radon by closed dosimeters were 0.063 mSv/y, 0.270 mWL, 11.134 mWLMY−1, and 1.134, respectively. According to WHO, EPA, and ICRP, the values of radon concentrations were within the range of what was allowed internationally. Also, the results of the radiological parameters due to radon gas for the study of the houses of the Al‐Hussainya district of the Karbala Governorate, Iraq, were low and did not constitute a health hazard.

Optimization Method to Predict Optimal Noise Reduction Parameters for the Non-Local Means Algorithm Based on the Scintillator Thickness in Radiography.

The resulting image obtained from an X-ray imaging system depends significantly on the characteristics of the detector. In particular, when an X-ray image is acquired by thinning the detector, a relatively large amount of noise inevitably occurs. In addition, when a thick detector is used to reduce noise in X-ray images, blurring increases and the ability to distinguish target areas deteriorates. In this study, we aimed to derive the optimal X-ray image quality by deriving the optimal noise reduction parameters based on the non-local means (NLM) algorithm. The detectors used were of two thicknesses (96 and 140 μm), and images were acquired based on the IEC 62220-1-1:2015 RQA-5 protocol. The optimal parameters were derived by calculating the edge preservation index and signal-to-noise ratio according to the sigma value of the NLM algorithm. As a result, a sigma value of the optimized NLM algorithm (0.01) was derived, and this algorithm was applied to a relatively thin X-ray detector system to obtain appropriate noise level and spatial resolution data. The no-reference-based blind/referenceless image spatial quality evaluator value, which analyzes the overall image quality, was best when using the proposed method. In conclusion, we propose an optimized NLM algorithm based on a new method that can overcome the noise amplification problem in thin X-ray detector systems and is expected to be applied in various photon imaging fields in the future.

Characterization of a 5 mm thick CZT-Timepix3 pixel detector for energy-dispersive γ-ray and particle tracking

The present manuscript describes a comprehensive characterization of a novel highly segmented 5 mm CZT sensor attached to Timepix3. First, the sensor’s IV curve was measured and basic sensor characterization was done with laboratory γ-radiation sources. The sensor resistivity was determined to be (0.155± 0.02) GOhm · cm. The sensor showed decent homogeneity, both for the per-pixel count rate and electron mobility-lifetime product μ e τ e. The latter was measured to be = 1.3 × 10−3 cm2/V with a standard deviation σ = 0.4 × 10−3 cm2/V describing the dispersion of values for different pixels. The basic sensor characterization is complemented by measurements at grazing angle in a 120 GeV/c at the CERN’s Super Proton Synchrotron. The penetrating nature of these particles together with the pixelation of the sensor allows for a determination of the charge collection efficiency (CCE), as well as charge carrier drift properties (drift times, lateral charge cloud expansion) as a function of the interaction depths in the sensor. While CCE drops by 30%–40% towards the cathode side of the sensor, from the drift time dependency on interaction depth, the electron mobility μ e was extracted to be (944.8 ± 1.3) cm2/V/s and τ e = (1.38 ± 0.31) μs. The spectroscopic performance was assessed in photon fields and extracted from energy loss spectra measured at different angles in the pion beam. While at photon energies below 120 keV incomplete charge collection leads to an underestimation of the photon energy when irradiated from the front-side, at higher energies the relative energy resolution was found to be ∼4.5%, while a relative energy resolution of ∼7.5% was found for the particle energy loss spectra. It is shown that the drift time information can be used to reconstruct particle interactions in the sensor in 3D, providing a spatial resolution of σ xyz = 241 μm within the sensor volume and a particle trajectory measurement precision Δxyz = 100 μm, at a distance of 1 m from the sensor. We demonstrate by measurement with a 22Na source, that the energy resolution combined with the 3D reconstruction allows for detection of γ-ray source location and polarity using Compton scattering within the sensor (Compton camera and scatter polarimeter).

Cherenkov-type terahertz generation by optical rectification in KD2PO4 (DKDP) crystal

The potential of KD2PO4 (or DKDP) crystal as a terahertz generator is demonstrated, despite its extremely strong terahertz absorption. By combining the Cherenkov radiation scheme and surface-emitting geometry, femtosecond Ti:sapphire laser pulses of ∼200−300 μJ energy were converted to broadband (∼4 THz bandwidth) terahertz transients with the efficiency of ∼8×10−6. The transients produced electro-optic signals of a ∼0.15 modulation depth and ∼103 dynamic range in a 1-mm thick ZnTe detector crystal. This suggests DKDP as a potential generator crystal for terahertz time-domain spectroscopy. From our measurements, we estimated the nonlinear coefficient d36≈3 pm/V of DKDP for optical rectification, which is an order of magnitude larger than the value known from second-harmonic-generation experiments. At the same time, the obtained value of d36 is an order of magnitude smaller than the value calculated from the clamped electro-optic coefficient r63 for the MHz frequency range. At high pump intensities, we observed multiple filamentation of the pump beam and white light generation, spatially separated from terahertz generation.

Design and analysis of novel high-performance thick epitaxial SiC radiation detector with low operating voltage by multiple p-type buried layers

In this work, epitaxial silicon carbide (SiC) radiation detectors (E-SRD) were modeled, and SiC PiN diodes with multiple p-type buried layers (PBL), named MPBL PiN, were proposed as E-SRD to address the problem that detection performance of E-SRD using convention PiN diodes (Cov. PiN) with thick epilayer is limited by its high fully depleted voltage (VFD). The charge collection efficiency (CCE), pulse height and relevant physical mechanism affecting detection performance of E-SRD were investigated. When both Cov. PiN and MPBL PiN have a 100 μm epilayer with n-type doping concentration of 3 × 1014 cm−3, the VFD of Cov. PiN reaches 2800 V, while that for MPBL PiN is only 550 V. 14 MeV neutron detection simulation results showed that, compared to Cov. PiN, the CCE, pulse height and radiation resistance of MPBL PiN improve significantly under low operating voltage within 1000 V, meanwhile its lower near-surface electric field is conducive to reducing leakage. Further, since the VFD of MPBL PiN is proportional to the thickness of the epilayer (HE) instead of to the square of the HE like Cov. PiN, the VFD of MPBL PiN with ultra-thick epilayer is much lower than that of Cov. PiN. Therefore, under commonly used operating voltage within 1000V, the sensitivity and pulse height of MPBL PiN can be proportional to the HE, while that of Cov. PiN hardly improved when HE is above 100 μm. So MPBL PiN can give full play to the high-performance detection advantages of ultra-thick epilayer, which is expected to promote the development and application of ultra-thick epilayer E-SRD with low operating voltage.

Site‐Selective Enhancement of Superconducting Nanowire Single‐Photon Detectors via Local Helium Ion Irradiation

AbstractAchieving homogeneous performance metrics between nominally identical pixels is challenging for the operation of arrays of superconducting nanowire single‐photon detectors (SNSPDs). Here, local helium ion irradiation is utilized to post‐process and tune single‐photon detection efficiency, switching current, and critical temperature of individual devices on the same chip. For 12 nm thick highly absorptive SNSPDs, which are barely sensitive to single photons with a wavelength of 780 nm prior to He ion irradiation, an increase of the system detection efficiency from <0.05% to (55.3 1.1)% is observed following irradiation. Moreover, the internal detection efficiency saturates at a temperature of 4.5 K after irradiation with 1800 ions nm−2. Compared to 8 nm SNSPDs of similar detection efficiency, a doubling of the switching current (to 20 µA) is observed for irradiated 10 nm thick detectors, increasing the amplitude of detection voltage pulses. Investigations of the scaling of superconducting thin film properties with irradiation up to a fluence of 2600 ions nm−2 revealed an increase of sheet resistance and a decrease of critical temperature towards high fluences. A physical model accounting for defect generation and sputtering during helium ion irradiation is presented and shows good qualitative agreement with experiments.

Assessment of dead layers thickness of an HPGe detector after an extended operating period using response surface methodology and Box–Behnken design

Assessment of dead layers thickness of an HPGe detector after an extended operating period using response surface methodology and Box–Behnken design

Development of Adaptive Point-Spread Function Estimation Method in Various Scintillation Detector Thickness for X-ray Imaging.

An indirect conversion X-ray detector uses a scintillator that utilizes the proportionality of the intensity of incident radiation to the amount of visible light emitted. A thicker scintillator reduces the patient's dose while decreasing the sharpness. A thin scintillator has an advantage in terms of sharpness; however, its noise component increases. Thus, the proposed method converts the spatial resolution of radiographic images acquired from a normal-thickness scintillation detector into a thin-thickness scintillation detector. Note that noise amplification and artifacts were minimized as much as possible after non-blind deconvolution. To accomplish this, the proposed algorithm estimates the optimal point-spread function (PSF) when the structural similarity index (SSIM) and feature similarity index (FSIM) are the most similar between thick and thin scintillator images. Simulation and experimental results demonstrate the viability of the proposed method. Moreover, the deconvolution images obtained using the proposed scheme show an effective image restoration method in terms of the human visible system compared to that of the traditional PSF measurement technique. Consequently, the proposed method is useful for restoring degraded images using the adaptive PSF while preventing noise amplification and artifacts and is effective in improving the image quality in the present X-ray imaging system.

Characterisation of HEXITECMHz - A 1 MHz continuous frame rate spectroscopic X-ray imaging detector system

Spectroscopic X-ray imaging techniques including Compton X-ray Imaging, X-ray Fluorescence Imaging and Hyperspectral X-ray Tomography require energy-resolving detectors capable of operating at high incident X-ray fluxes to make time resolved measurements. HEXITECMHz, operates at a continuous 1 MHz frame rate and can make fully spectroscopic measurements at >106 ph s−1 mm−2. This is enabled by an integrating Front End, in-pixel digitisation and high-speed serialisers. A 300 μm thick p-type Si HEXITECMHz detector was characterised on the B16 Test Beamline at the Diamond Light Source and are the first measurements taken at a 1 MHz frame rate. At 10 keV and 15 keV) the device displayed average FWHM of 656 eV and 682 eV respectively, with minimal changes in spectroscopic performance over ∼8 h. Analysis of charge-sharing events show low charge loss and a linear energy-signal response. Higher-flux measurements illustrated the capability of the ASIC to operate as a photon-counting device.

Monte Carlo and experimental evaluation of a Timepix4 compact gamma camera for coded aperture nuclear medicine imaging with depth resolution

PurposeWe designed a prototype compact gamma camera (MediPROBE4) for nuclear medicine tasks, including radio-guided surgery and sentinel lymph node imaging with a 99mTc radiotracer. We performed Monte Carlo (MC) simulations for image performance assessment, and first spectroscopic imaging tests with a 300 μm thick silicon detector. MethodsThe hand-held camera (1 kg weight) is based on a Timepix4 readout circuit for photon-counting, energy-sensitive, hybrid pixel detectors (24.6 × 28.2 mm2 sensitive area, 55 μm pixel pitch), developed by the Medipix4 Collaboration. The camera design adopts a CdTe detector (1 or 2 mm thick) bump-bonded to a Timepix4 readout chip and a coded aperture collimator with 0.25 mm diameter round holes made of 3D printed 1-mm thick tungsten. Image reconstruction is performed via autocorrelation deconvolution. ResultsGeant4 MC simulations showed that, for a 99mTc source in air, at 50 mm source-collimator distance, the estimated collimator sensitivity (4 × 10−4) is 292 times larger than that of a single hole in the mask; the system sensitivity is 0.22 cps/kBq (2 mm CdTe); the lateral spatial resolution is 1.7 mm FWHM. The estimated axial longitudinal resolution is 8.2 mm FWHM at 40 mm distance. First experimental tests with a 300 μm thick Silicon pixel detector bump-bonded to a Timepix4 chip and a high-resolution coded aperture collimator showed time-over-threshold and time-of-arrival capabilities with 241Am and 133Ba gamma-ray sources. ConclusionsMC simulations and validation lab tests showed the expected performance of the MediPROBE4 compact gamma camera for gamma-ray 3D imaging.

Timing, Energy, and Spatial Characterization of Highly Sampled Monolithic PET Detectors with Different Thicknesses.

The HyPET project proposes a hybrid dedicated TOF-PET for prostate imaging, with pixelated detector blocks in the front layer and monolithic blocks in the back layer. In this work, four detector configurations have been experimentally evaluated for the rear detector layer. The detector configuration consists of LYSO monolithic blocks with the same size (25.4 mm × 25.4 mm) but different thicknesses (5, 7.5, 10, and 15 mm) coupled to the same SiPM array. Each detector configuration has been experimentally characterized in terms of time, energy and spatial resolution by scanning the crystal surface using a fan beam in steps of 0.25 mm. Regarding spatial resolution, the interaction position was estimated using a Neural Network technique. All resolutions except energy, which remains nearly constant at 17% for all cases, show better values for the 5 mm detector thickness. We have achieved spatial resolution values of FWHM of 1.02 ± 0.10, 1.19 ± 0.13, 1.53 ± 0.17, 2.33 ± 0.55 mm, for the 5, 7.5, 10, and 15 mm blocks, respectively. The detector time resolution obtained was 275 ± 26, 291 ± 21, 344 ± 48, and 433 ± 45 ps respectively, using the energy weighted average method for the time stamps.

Relative estimation of scattering noise and electronic noise of a radiation detector

This study investigates two unavoidable noise factors: electronic noise (EN) and radiation scattering, associated with detectors and their electronics. This study proposes a novel methodology to estimate electronic and scattering noise separately. It utilizes mathematical tools, namely, Kanpur theorem-1 (KT-1), standard deviation, similarity dice coefficient parameters, and experimental computerized tomography technique. Four types of gamma detectors: CsI (Tl), , NaI (Tl) and HPGe are used with their respective electronics. A detector with integrated circuit electronics imparts significantly less (∼33% less) EN in data than detectors with distributed electronics. KT-1 signature is proposed as a scattering error estimate. The developed empirical expression shows that scattering noise depends strongly on the mass attenuation coefficients of detector crystal material and weakly on their active area. The difference between predicted and estimated relative scattering is 14.6%. The methodology presented in this study will assist the related industry in selecting the appropriate detector of optimal diameter, thickness, material composition and hardware as per requirement.

Extracting clean low-energy spectra from silicon strip detector telescopes around punch through energies

The response of detector telescopes becomes complex around their relevant punch through energies: For some deposited energies the corresponding particle kinetic energies cannot be uniquely assigned, and these spurious energy regions can span several hundreds of keV if the telescopes are employed in close geometry. We present methods for producing clean low-energy spectra of light ions from detector telescopes consisting of thin double-sided silicon strip detectors (DSSSDs) backed by thick silicon pad detectors. By following these methods, the spectra of several such detector telescopes can be combined to span the entire relevant particle energy spectrum, above as well as below the punch through thresholds of the individual telescopes. The total energy spectrum resulting from the combination of all telescope spectra thus encompass the entire particle energy distribution in conjunction with the energy-dependent, setup-specific solid angle coverage. Energy spectra of beta-delayed proton emission from 21Mg are used to illustrate the methods.

3D printing of high-temperature thick film platinum resistance temperature detector array

Dynamic high-temperature field measurements have garnered substantial interest for various promising applications, such as the health monitoring of aviation components. 3D printing offers unprecedented opportunities for the development of curved structure-function integrated sensors. However, most current resistance temperature detector (RTD) arrays based on 3D printing technology work well only within a narrow temperature range. Their application at high temperatures remains a significant challenge because of the lack of efficient manufacturing processes. Herein, a high-temperature thick film platinum (Pt) RTD array is presented based on 3D printing technology, suitable for high-temperature field measurement sensing applications at 50−800 °C. Three stages of Pt film sintering were revealed through the analysis of the microstructure, phase composition, and electrical properties during the sintering process. Compared to sputtered films, printed Pt films, which are confirmed to contain glass powder, exhibit excellent anti-aggregation and high-temperature properties. The resulting Pt RTD array shows outstanding stability (drift rate of 0.07%/h at 800 °C), high accuracy (0.75% full-scale), and can realize temperature gradient monitoring of a two-dimensional temperature field. The potential applications of the Pt RTD array, including bolt and rocket engine tester exhaust flame temperature monitoring, were demonstrated. This study paves the way for printing RTD arrays directly on curved parts.

Test Bench for Highly Segmented GRIT Double-Sided Silicon Strip Detectors: A Detector Quality Control Protocol

This work deals with the characteristics of highly segmented double-sided silicon detectors. These are fundamental parts in many new state-of-the-art particle detection systems, and therefore they must perform optimally. We propose a test bench that can handle 256 electronic channels with off-the-shelf equipment, as well as a detector quality control protocol to ensure that the detectors meet the requirements. Detectors with a large number of strips bring new technological challenges and issues that need to be carefully monitored and understood. One of the standard 500 μm thick detectors of the GRIT array was investigated, undergoing studies that revealed its IV curve, charge collection efficiency, and energy resolution. From the data obtained, we calculated, among other things, the depletion voltage (110 V), the resistivity of the bulk material (9 kΩ·cm), and the electronic noise contribution (8 keV). We present, for the first time, a methodology called “the energy triangle’’ to visualize the effect of charge sharing between two adjacent strips and to study the hit distribution with the interstrip-to-strip hit ratio (ISR).

Dose estimation in X-ray backscatter imaging with Timepix3 and TLD detectors

Nowadays, the detection of backscatter X-rays has become an essential part of road security scanners, where individuals are at risk of an accidental exposure to the pulsed photon radiation fields generated by the devices that implement this technique. Dose to soft-tissue measurements of a pulsed radiation field generated by a commercial cargo X-ray backscattering device are presented using a Timepix3 detector. To accurately estimate the imparted dose, the energy spectrum of a backscattering cargo scanner is measured with a thick CdZnTe hybrid semiconductor pixel detector. The deconvolution of this measured spectrum is performed and the contributions to the dose are calculated by means of the mass energy-absorption coefficients for soft-tissue. This methodology was assessed through a Monte-Carlo simulation, together with verification measurements using thermoluminescent detectors (TLDs) as a standard dosimetry system. Measurements of direct irradiation, for a 30 s scan with the device at 2 m from the detector, yielded a dose of (4.9 ± 0.7) μGy and (3.6 ± 0.3) μGy for the Timepix3 and TLDs, respectively. In a simulated cargo environment, with the detector behind a 1 mm thick steel wall, 30 s scan time, and 2 m source to detector distance, the dose measured by the Timepix3 was (1.7 ± 0.1) μGy, while for the TLDs (1.4 ± 0.6) μGy, showing that the proposed methodology has a similar response as compared to a standard dosimetry system.

Monolithic scintillator PET detector by using light sharing between adjacent detector modules

A monolithic crystal-based positron emission tomography (PET) detector has a low cost and high sensitivity and allows determining 3D positions by scintillation light distribution. However, the edge effect inherent to scintillators deteriorates the position resolution of the detector toward the crystal borders due to the escape and reflection of the scintillation light. An increase in crystal thickness will improve the detection efficiency, but the edge effect becomes severe. To improve the position resolution and detection efficiency of scintillators, the light-sharing technique is developed. Two identical trapezoidal monolithic cerium-doped lutetium yttrium orthosilicate (LYSO) crystals with a bottom size of 25.80 × 25.80 mm2 and a thickness of 20 mm are optically coupled at one lateral face by an optical medium. The scintillation light near the optically coupled interface is jointly collected by two adjacent 8 × 8 SiPM arrays from the bottom faces. The SiPM signals are individually read out and processed by using the multichannel readout application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) of TOFPET2 to provide a light distribution. The transverse positions and depth of interaction (DOI) are calculated from the measured light distribution. As expected, the optical glue with a refractive index of n = 1.68 shows better light sharing between two LYSO crystals than the coupling media of silicon grease (n = 1.40) and air. For the 20 mm thick monolithic LYSO-based PET detector, the transverse position resolution near the crystal edge is improved by nearly 30% by using the light-sharing method compared with the black-painted treatment. However, the DOI resolution near the edge of the crystal is not significantly improved, which may be attributed to the incomplete collection of scintillation light. The DOI resolution of the detector would be improved by using electronics with lower noise and SiPM arrays with smaller pixel.

Comparative study on traditional and new etchants for radon monitoring using Poly(allyl diglycol carbonate) (PADC) and identification of (Na3H(CO3)2.2H2O) in etched products

A comparative study is conducted on Traditional Etchants (NaOH/H2O, KOH/H2O) and New Etchants viz. NaOH/Methanol, NaOH/Ethanol and NaOH/1-propanol for Poly(allyl diglycol carbonate) (PADC) used in Radon monitoring. Molar concentration of traditional etchants NaOH/H2O and KOH/H2O is varied from 1 M to 6 M and etching temperature is varied from 30 °C to 80 °C to verify optimal etching parameter. Etching is done for 8 to 9.5 h in the steps of 30 min. An average bulk etch rate (Vb) of 1.4μm/h and 1.7μm/h for NaOH/H2O and KOH/H2O is calculated respectively under optimal etching conditions. Optimal reported concentrations of 1.5 M, 1.5 M and 1 M respectively, are used to make standard NaOH/Methanol, NaOH/Ethanol and NaOH/1-propanol solutions. Track densities, track diameters, bulk etch rate (Vb), track etch rate (Vt), etching time, variation in mass and thickness for both traditional and new etchants are calculated and compared. Traditional etchants take much longer time (5 to 7 h) for etching with initial swelling due to absorption of etchant on the surface of detector due to broken molecular chains, causing increase in mass and thickness of detectors for initial 0.5 to 1 h of etching which are measured with digital balance (±0.0001 g) and digital micrometer (±0.001 mm) respectively. New etchants take short time for etching (30 min approx.). There is no initial increase in mass and thickness of detectors due to short etching time and high Vb of new etchant. Traditional etchants give high track densities with low Vb and Vt while new etchants gives low track density with high Vb and Vt. New tracks formation is rare in new etchants as compared to traditional etchants. An average radon concentration level of 21.8 kBqm−3 is calculated from detectors etched in traditional etchants while new etchants do not provide any useful information about radon track density to calculate radon concentration for the given samples. Trona i-e Na3H(CO3)2.2H2O is identified as a common product formed in the etched products of PADC etched in either of the etchants i.e. traditional etchants and new etchants, using X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) analysis.